SST and SSO are happy to lend our support to Beats + Bass Cultures Network (BBCN), a new research effort based in Australia. For us, any inspiration our work can give others is a big plus.

Join the launch event with BBCN founders and prof Julian Henriques online on Monday 15th June 10am UK time at this link.

In BBCN’s own words:

We acknowledge and pay our deep respect to the originators of beats and bass cultures. 

The Beats + Bass Cultures Network (BBCN) brings together scholars and practitioners who are participants and researchers in the cultural practices of sound-system-, beats- and bass- cultures, with a special emphasis on connections to so-called Australia, Aotearoa / New Zealand, the Pacific and Asia. 

Our key aim is to build community between people working in shared time-zones and cultural spaces, but ultimately we are open to all geographies, as we operate in a world where fluid cultural practices often cross, blur and reconstitute ideas of the ‘global’, ‘local’ or ‘national’. We recognise that people’s engagements with Beats + Bass Cultures are shaped by global flows of knowledge, technologies and people. 

We broadly define beats, bass and sound system cultures as including but not limited to Hip Hop (DJing, MCing, Graffiti Writing and Breaking), reggae, cumbia, jungle/drum and bass, grime, trap, evolving forms of electronic dance music and more. 

We are interested in exploring what we have in common, but don’t assume shared experiences. Rather, we seek to champion and explore the diverse ways that people engage with and produce Beats + Bass Cultures in different contexts. 

We welcome anyone who shares our passion to join our network and contribute 

The development of our website and launch of the Network was supported by an Engaged Anthropology Fund (2025) from the Australian Anthropological Society.